I pass several 4 way stop intersections in my daily travels.
My question is: What happens if all four vehicles come to a stop at
precisely the EXACT moment? I know that the vehicle to  my right has
the "right of way", but how would the drivers of both these "right
of way" vehicles know when to move through the intersection?
Especially if one of these vehicles was attempting a left hand turn in
front of the other " right of way " car? Who goes first then?
 The driver's manuals I have read don't seem to have any reference to
this exact situation.
Thanks...

Good Day steph53-ga,


Excellent question!


Right hand is less relevant than the way which you are traveling
through the intersection: going straight has priority vs. turning.

When four cars get to the intersection at the same time:

Anyone going straight has right of way by default. If there is still
conflict on who should go first because more than one driver wants to
go straight, this is where right hand has right of way.

So the order is:

1. straight through vehicles + right hand if conflict exists
2. turning vehicles + right hand if conflict exists

It seems that many people are unaware of this rule, and they think
that right hand gets priority.  This can be dangerous when a turning
vehicle approaches the intersection at the same time as a straight
through vehicle does: even if the turning driver is on the right hand
side, s/he has lost right of way because of the direction they intend
to travel.

Let me know if I should dig out my driver's manual for this one... :) 
I have it somewhere around here, and can scan in the needed info and
post it online if you need.

These rules are most likely universal, but just to be safe, my
driver's manual is from Manitoba, Canada.


Regards,
slawek-ga

Thanks Slawek-ga. Great answer!!
You shed some helpful enlightenment to this situation.
Now I just wish more drivers knew these rules :(

(I think this is cribbed from Aristotle - but that's another question!)
A donkey teathered exactly between two  equally attractive piles of
hay starves to death because he has no basis to chose which direction
to go.

Four cars arrive at a 4 way intersection at exactly the same moment. 
All want to go straight.  No one moves, because they can't figure out
who goes first.

Of course, in real life, the donkey walks over to one pile or the
other and eats it.  And the drivers sit in their cars until one of
them runs out of gas and backs up........... no just kidding.  There
in fact is no way to determine who has the right of way.  Rather,
everyone stops, and then someone or more starts up slowly, and every
one feels there way through the intersection.  Might take an extra
couple of seconds.

Some problems are theoretical. Some are real.  Some real problems have
no theoretical solution - but do have solutions in real life.

Terrific answer.  My husband calls this the "Who gets to go?!"
dilemma, and actually says this at every 4-way stop.

I'm going to stick this answer to his dash.

--Missy

In this respect, I'm glad that in the UK we don't have this type of
junction, although 'mini' roundabouts (which is effectively a 4-way
Stop intersection with a painted circle in the middle). Do you have
roundabouts (they may well have a differnt name) in the states?

Paultech, I encountered a roundabout when on holiday in USA. No
problems with driving on the "wrong" side of the road. However I got a
few strange looks when I went round the roundabout clockwise as if
still in UK :-) Think I was meant to go anticlockwise? Luckily it was
the only roundabout I came across in 3000 miles.